'Who is this diva?': Meet the woman who went viral for her meme-worthy reaction at the QuadComm drug war hearing

In televised hearings, the spotlight is usually directed at the politicians and resource persons dealing with a certain issue concerning the entire country. At the recently concluded Quad Comm drug war probe with former president Rodrigo Duterte, however, one woman managed to catch the attention of viewers with her reaction that has since become the subject of memes and laughter on social media.

Rachelyn Montero drew laughs after being seen raising an eyebrow at Duterte when he appeared to want to throw a punch at former senator Leila De Lima, one of his fiercest critics, during the inquiry that focused on Duterte's brutal war on drugs. The two were seated next to each other during the discussions.

"[Who is this] diva?" a TikTok user asked as they posted a video of it. "Mukhang we need not to worry kasi sa side eye at [eyeroll] pa lang ni Miss [Ma'am] sa likod, kaya na niyang ipagtanggol si Manay Leila."

@wanderteddybaguilat_ Hu iz diz DIVA? Mukhang we need not to worry kase sa side eye at roll eyes palang ni Miss Maam sa likod kaya na niyang ipagtanggol si Manay Leila. Mean girls ang atake eh. #missmaam #diva #girlssupportgirls #girlswholift #sideeye #rolleyes #meangirls #leila #duterte #uniteam #unity #bbm #dds #kakampinks #kakampink #quadcomm #hearing #houseofrepresentatives #congress #kongreso #19thcongress #ejk #warondrugs #issues #drugwar #philippines #ph #pilipinas #pinas #pinoy #filipino #government #kakampink #kakampinks #kulayrosasangbukas #rosas #angatbuhay #katuwaan #katuwaanlangpo #pinoy #pinoycomedy #pinoycore #pinoyviral #meme #filipino ♬ Diva - Beyoncé

The viral moment even inspired Kevin Raymundo, the cartoonist behind the popular web series Tarantadong Kalbo, to make an entire caricature of it. 

Beyond the memes

Fun, games, and memes aside, Montero told PhilSTAR L!fe that the reason for her facial expressions was no laughing matter.

"Actually, very conscious ako noon. The entire time, dapat wala akong reaction kasi nakita ko na kita ako sa camera, so sabi ko, 'Kahit anong mangyari, huwag kang magre-react.' Eh kaso, pagtingala ko, inambahan si Manay," Montero said.

"Si Manay man 'yun or hindi, kung babae 'yung inambahan ng lalaki—kahit hindi siya sa Quad Comm nangyari, kahit nasa kanto 'yan, kahit nasa kalsada 'yan—I think I will be reacting the same kasi hindi dapat natin ginagawang normal lang na umaamba 'yung lalaki sa babae," she continued.

She stressed that normalizing these acts only fuels the prevalence of violence against women that shouldn't ever be tolerated.

"Sabi ko nun, 'Ay okay, magrereact na ako kasi hindi siya tama,'" she said. "Especially napapanood pa siya on a national TV, ano na lang iisipin ng mga bata?"

De Lima revealed that she wasn't aware of Duterte's gesture at the time until someone informed her, to which she admitted feeling offended.

"That was so unbecoming, that was offensive kasi wala na siyang any sense of decency. Ang tawag diyan, indecency na wala naman ako ginagawa sa kanya tapos ganun ang reaction niya," she told reporters after the inquiry.

While Montero was amused at the memes being made about her, she hopes that the public would also understand the underlying issue of what made her react that way.

"Okay natatawa kayo, pero sana, more than the funny side, nakikita natin kung ano 'yung totoong situation on that. Kasi nakita ng mga tao na, 'Ay ang tapang niya, natarayan niya si Duterte.' No, it was not my intention, but 'yun 'yung situation and feeling ko natural instinct 'yun sa babae," she said.

"Hindi lang nga dapat sa babae eh, dapat pati sa taong alam kung ano 'yung tama at mali. For sure kaya maraming naka-relate kasi alam nila na mali 'yung nangyari sa sitwasyon na 'yun," she added.

What made her end up at the Quad Comm hearing?

The 25-year-old graduate student taking up social work attended the hearing as part of her duty as an executive assistant to De Lima, who she fondly calls Manay Leila.

Montero became a supporter of the former Commission on Human Rights chairperson back in 2021 when she began to do some research on her after she announced her candidacy for the 2022 elections.

When Montero learned that De Lima's team was looking for volunteers to help her in her campaign, she applied for the job so she could get to know her more.

"Being surrounded by her previous staff, na-enlighten ako kung ano 'yung causes niya. Doon ko lang din nalaman na siya pala 'yung proponent ng 4Ps (Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program), eh I live in a community kung saan halos lahat ay beneficiary ng 4Ps," she said.

At the start, Montero had some fears about having De Lima as her boss as she didn't know if she was a strict person to work with, but that changed they began working closely together.

"Sobrang compassionate niyang boss. Iisipin niya talaga, 'Kumain na ba kayo?' Siya pa 'yung laging magreremind, 'Make sure na kumain kayo,' tapos kapag kakain, mine-make sure niya na 'yung pagkain na mayroon ka ay para sa lahat," Montero shared.

"Tapos kapag nakikita niya na napapagod na, magreremind na 'yan, 'Oh magpahinga ah, i-ensure na may complete na tulog.' 'Yun 'yung mga simple things na hindi ko inexpect na ganun siya ka-thoughtful," she continued.

It appears that the two of them have now formed a close bond, as shown in a fun TikTok video they did.

"That’s my girl! Thank you for always having my back, Rache," De Lima wrote in the caption.

That’s my girl! 💪 Thank you for always having my back, Rache.#LabanLeila #MLPartylist #MamamayangLiberal #TaraML #TapatSaPilipino #LeilabanAngLeilayan https://t.co/VSoQwoEMmm

— Leila de Lima (@AttyLeiladeLima) November 14, 2024

Passion for politics

Young as she is, Montero has already fostered a strong interest in political issues in the country. She even shared a before-and-after picture of herself watching hearings in the comfort of her bed to finally attending one in person.

Montero started becoming active in politics in 2016, when she joined a youth organization that was part of her community.

"Sa community namin, very active talaga ako in terms of youth organizing. Nagpapa-pageant kami, nagpapalaro kami sa mga kapitbahay namin. Personally, may goal ako na magbigay ng alternative para sa mga bata dito," she shared, adding that her area is one of the "hot spots for drugs."

"Being exposed to that, parang ang lungkot kasi 'yung mga bata naiisip nila na, 'Ay normal 'yan,' pero kung magbibigay tayo ng alternative na pwede nilang gawin, nareredirect natin 'yung attention nila," she highlighted.

This continued as she got older, having joined the student council when she took up elementary education at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and went on to become an adviser for her local youth organization.

Montero hopes that all the memes surrounding her viral moment would be able to motivate the youth to engage in politics and tune in to hearings.

"Sana makatulong siya na magparticipate, especially in the coming election. Kilatisin natin 'yung mga iuupo natin, manood tayo ng mga public hearings, especially kung may time tayo. I-preview natin siya, huwag tayong manood ng spliced, try nating panoorin nang buong context at magfact-check tayo," she said.